Pride & Passion
by Capitaine Pickle
Summary: In which Sakura is the jounin instructor of team seven, composed of Uchiha Sasuke, Hatake Kakashi and Uzumaki Naruto. [SasuNaru, KakaNaru]


**Summary:** In which Sakura is the jounin instructor of team seven, composed of Uchiha Sasuke, Hatake Kakashi and Uzumaki Naruto.

 **Pairing:** SasuNaruKaka

* * *

 **Pride & Passion**

 _Chapter 1_

Sakura's eyebrows twitched in annoyance as she looked down at the two most stubborn and arrogant boys she had ever seen.

Uchiha Sasuke, youngest son of the leader of the most powerful clan in the village.

Hatake Kakashi, only son of one of Konoha's greatest shinobis, the White Fang.

Two very promising ninjas, both geniuses and tied for rookie of the year. And yet, here they were, both tied up to the wooden poles in the training area.

She was seriously considering failing this team. They had the worst dynamics she had seen so far in her career. The two 'prodigies' were so busy trying to show off and outdo the other, they completely ignored Naruto and overall just messed up the test. They hadn't even managed to graze the bells. Naruto -bless the little boy- had actually tried to bring the two together and form a plan, but he had been rudely told off. Naruto didn't even look surprised or offended; like he was used to it. That honestly pissed Sakura off.

Uzumaki Naruto, the orphan all the kids hated for no reason other than the fact their parents disapproved of the boy. The lonely child, container of the Kyuubi, who pulled off pranks to hide desperate cries for attention. He was loud and a bit of an idiot, but he had a truly kind heart. He was officially Sakura's favourite. Plus, he was heart-breakingly adorable.

''We're taking a break. Only Naruto-chan gets to eat lunch,'' she said as she gave Naruto a bento box. ''You're not allowed to give them any food, got it?'' she told Naruto, who nodded slowly in reply. ''We'll continue our test after, but don't get your hopes too high. You're definitely the worst team I've come across yet.'' And with that, she left in an array of swirly leaves.

''Tch, well done, _Hatake_ ,'' Sasuke spat bitterly. ''Thanks to your incompetence, you got ourselves in this position.''

''Shut up, _Uchiha_ ,'' Kakashi growled back. ''If you hadn't thrown your stupid fireballs right at me, I would have gotten Sakura-sensei's bells.''

''As if,'' Sasuke snorted. ''You just got in the way of my jutsu, dumbass.''

''Stupid prick.''

''Guys-'' Naruto tried to interrupt them, but the two rookies blatantly ignored him and continued to throw insults at each other. ''Guys!'' Naruto exclaimed, louder this time. Two pairs of dark eyes glared at him.

''What do you want, loser _,_ '' Sasuke said frustratingly.

''Yeah, what is it, Naruto- _chan_ ,'' Kakashi teased, smirking when he saw the blond's embarrassed pout. He decided to ignore the grey-haired boy's comment.

''Who are you calling a loser? I'm not the one who's tied to a pole,'' Naruto told Sasuke with a glare. ''Look,'' he sighed, ''I get that you guys are geniuses and all, but Sakura-sensei's an elite jounin! If we want to get the bells, we need to work together. It's the only way we'll pass.''

''Pff, like you'd be of any use in a fight against a jounin. At least Hatake's got decent skills,'' Sasuke said, raising a skeptical brow at the blond.

''Decent? Says the guy who got buried to the chin in the ground,'' Kakashi smirked.

''Shut up!''

''Oh boy...'' Naruto let out an exasperated sigh, taking a bite from his bento box. That's it, he'd never become a genin... all because of those two bastards.

Kakashi's and Sasuke's stomach growled at the sight. Naruto blinked at his two teammates before swallowing the rice.

''... Want some?''

''No!'' Both said stubbornly at the same time.

''Besides,'' Kakashi added, ''Sakura-sensei told you not to give us food.''

''Jeez, guys, stop being such stuckups!'' Naruto whined. ''None of us ate breakfast, right? How do you hope to beat Sakura-sensei with empty stomachs?'' Neither Sasuke nor Kakashi graced him with a reply. Their stomachs growled again and they looked away in embarrassment.

''Look,'' Naruto continued with another sigh. ''I want to pass this test, I want to become a genin... and I know you do too. But we won't make it if we don't work together. We need to go after Sakura-sensei with all of our strengths combined. And I know I can help if you just give me a chance!''

Two pairs of wide black eyes stared back at Naruto. The boys' hearts skipped a beat, without warning. The pleading, yet determined look in the blond's eyes made the blue sparkly and bright. It was like they had noticed the colour for the first time; vibrant and beautiful.

Both geniuses internally chastised themselves for their moment of weakness; they didn't even know why it happened in the first place. This was _Naruto_ , after all.

''Alright,'' Sasuke said at last, still a little bewildered. Kakashi said nothing, which meant he agreed.

''Great!'' Naruto cheered. ''Now, let's eat.'' He shared his lunch with the two most popular guys in the academy. He snickered to think how the girls would react if they knew he had fed them lunch.

''You disobedient brats!'' The pink haired jounin barked. All three twelve-year-olds almost choked on their food at Sakura's sudden appearance. They looked at her with wide, terrified eyes. She turned to Naruto. ''You went against my direct orders-''

''-I...I'' Naruto stuttered nervously, trying to defend himself.

''-to help your hungry teammates and managed to convince them to work as a team.'' She finished in a much calmer, softer tone. Naruto blinked, confused. Kakashi and Sasuke looked rather disconcerted as well. The jounin smiled and ruffled Naruto's hair.

''Well done,'' she said at last. ''You should be thankful to Naruto. You guys pass.'' The two older boys blinked again.

''What?'' Kakashi muttered in disbelief.

''But we didn't even get a bell!'' Sakura snorted at that.

''Did you really think you'd get a bell from me?'' She smirked as she cut the ropes around the boys. ''Come on guys, you're skilled, but not _that_ skilled. The point of this was just to see if you had the potential to work well together as a team.''

''Neat,'' Naruto mused, recovered from the shock. He casually continued to eat from the bento box.

The two little prodigies looked at Naruto, not believing they owed their genin title to this clueless blond.

OoOoO

Sakura walked leisurely along the busy streets of Konoha's market place. Today was a rare day off and she decided to take a stroll and simply enjoy the nice warm weather. Her thoughts, though, were still on her team. They always were. They were making progress, each in their own way. Sakura could tell Kakashi and Sasuke were beginning to appreciate Naruto more and more, although they refused to let it show. The little blond had tremendous potential -as tremendous as his chakra reserve- and Sakura's well-educated knowledge helped him make incredible achievements in chakra control. It was a miracle how far he had come compared to their first few weeks of training. Sasuke and Kakashi had, of course, excellent supplementary training at home with their respective father which always kept them at the top of the line. However, Sakura never missed an opportunity to beat some humility into them. She smiled approvingly to herself. Team Seven was on its way to become a great team.

''Sakura-sensei!'' Sakura turned to see the one and only Uzumaki Naruto, running towards her with a wide grin and a huge grocery paper bag.

''Naruto-chan,'' Sakura greeted with a smile. ''Doing some grocery shopping?''

''Yup!'' The boy exclaimed cheerfully. ''I have enough to last the entire week!'' Curious, Sakura couldn't help but take a little peek inside his bag. A vein popped angrily on her forehead.

''What the hell is _this_?'' she asked, taking out a cup of instant ramen. The bag was full of it and only of it.

''Huh? Food, of course.'' Naruto narrowed his eyes in confusion.

The jounin took in three deep breaths, just as she had learned in her anger-management class. _Do not hit him, do not hit him... he's just a clueless child,_ she repeated herself. Instead, she ignored Naurto's protests as she took the bag from him and threw it in the nearest dump.

''My ramen!'' Naruto cried dramatically, falling to his knees.

''Naruto-chan, instant ramen is not food. It's junk. No wonder you're so short.''

''That was mean, sensei.'' Naruto wiped a comical tear away. Sakura sighed.

''I'll go grocery shopping with you; I'll even pay for it. I'll get you all the essentials you need and from now on, you must promise me to minimize ramen to once a week, and home made too, if at all possible.''

''Once a week? Are you crazy, woman?!-Ow!'' _Oops_ , Sakura smiled sheepishly. She had left her fist accidentally hit the top of the blond's head.

OoOoO

 _That was a very productive day,_ Sakura thought proudly as she walked back with Naruto towards his apartment. She had even managed to persuade the kid into buying a new outfit; she had made him promise to start wearing it tomorrow. The blue and orange jumpsuit was a fashion outrage. She had complained to her good friend Ino about it many times. The blond jounin, like her, was instructing a team of three boys. No girls. They often met to complain (and brag) about their teenage students. Sakura had often talked to Ino about Naruto's horrid clothes and Ino honestly sympathized with her.

Her good mood was quickly shattered once Naruto opened the door.

''What is this?!'' She shrieked. ''A waste yard?! You clean this apartment right now, or I'm making you pay everything back!'' Naruto felt several inches shorter under Sakura's angry glare. Man, his sensei could be so scary sometimes. And that inhuman strength of hers made it all the more intimidating. The blond and his two teammates had learned it at their expense. He put down his bags and sprinted everywhere across his apartment, tidying up everything on his path.

Two solid hours later, with Sakura's help, his tiny apartment was spotless.

''Phew...'' Sakura sighed, wiping off the sweat off her forehead. Both she and Naruto were now sitting at the boy's small dining table with a glass of iced tea. She turned her sharp green eyes at her youngest student.

''You really need to be more responsible, Naruto.'' She decided to drop the suffix to make her point even clearer. ''Healthy living habits are part of a shinobi's disciplined and rigorous training. It's all linked together; if you eat healthily and live in a clean environment, you will perform better and will feel more motivated too, and-''

She stopped herself dead when she saw the little blond's blue eyes starting to water. Her inner self screamed in panic and with racing heartbeat. _Oh shit! I never realized Naruto was so sensitive! What do I do?! What do I say?!_ Her exterior remained completely dumbfounded and frozen.

''Sorry,'' Naurto chuckled with embarrassment, wiping his tears away. He grinned at Sakura, a soft blush covering his cheeks. Sakura sighed in relief; it looked like she hadn't done much damage. ''It's just... it's silly but... I just thought...'' He stuttered, looking away from Sakura and scratched the back of his head with a nervous laughter. ''Never mind.''

''Don't worry, go ahead,'' Sakura urged him on gently. ''I won't judge you.''

''It's just,'' Naruto continued, looking back at his sensei. ''I suddenly wondered if this is what it's like to have a... well, a big sister or a mom or something,'' He mumbled the last part almost in a whisper, too ashamed to say it any louder.

It was like a slap to her face and an arrow through the heart all at once. With him acting so cheerful and loud all the time, Sakura often forgot the boy's lonely and tragic background. The boy had no idea how to properly take care of himself nor did he truly understand the notion of responsibility, because he had never been taught. In fact, it was a wonder Naruto was so sweet and positive considering that and how people in the village usually treated him.

Without a word, Sakura rose from her seat and slowly walked towards Naruto. The blond was worried he had offended his sensei, but his insecurities soon melted when the young woman gently wrapped her arms around him. Naruto felt tears gather up to his eyes once more. He gripped the back of his sensei's vest tightly and squeezed his eyes shut, trying not to let anymore tears come out.

''You're a good kid, Naruto-chan,'' Sakura whispered, smiling into soft blond hair.

Naruto didn't trust his voice so instead, the blond thanked his teacher with a tighter hug.

OoOoO

Sakura started to suspect the two prodigies' budding crush on the small blond when they first saw him in his new outfit. Even Sakura herself couldn't keep in her squeal of delight. Ino would have been proud of her pick.

Naruto had been the last to arrive at their meeting point that morning. At first, the young Uchiha and Hatake hadn't even recognized the blond. However, once they got a clear view of the silky blond hair, sparkling blue eyes and whiskered cheeks; there was no doubt about it.

The small blond was wearing a dark blue mao collar tunic which stopped mid-thigh and were slanted on the sides for easier movement. He also had tight grey capri pants and a large orange belt over his tunic, which showed off his narrow waist. His weapon pouch was hooked at the back of the belt. The orange belt had been a non-negotiable on Naruto's part, but Sakura had thought it was a decent compromise. The boy wore the standard blue shinobi sandals though these went higher on his shins.

The outfit was stylish, practical and, most important of all, _very_ flattering on Naruto's slim body. Who would have thought that under the nasty, baggy fashion garbage was hiding a perfectly svelte and attractive figure?

Sakura cheered and promptly complimented the young blond. Naruto blushed in embarrassment from the praises, completely unused to such behaviour towards him. From the corner of her eyes, Sakura observed as her two other boys stared silently at Naruto. Sakura grabbed her youngest pupil by the shoulders and pushed the blond closer to the two brooding genins.

''So? What do you think about the change?'' Sakura asked, eager to get some sort of reaction out of the pretentious boys. It was hard to tell with Kakashi because of his mask, but she had a feeling that the boys were finally seeing Naruto in a new light.

''At least you're not an embarrassment to look at anymore,'' Kakashi muttered stubbornly, looking anywhere but in Naruto's clear blue eyes.

''J-Just because you don't _look_ stupid doesn't mean you aren't,'' Sasuke spat, nearly stuttering as he did.

Sakura rolled her eyes and suppressed a heavy sigh. Pre-teens and their constipated feelings.

''Wow,'' Naruto breathed out, wide eyes blinking in surprise. ''That's like, the nicest things you've said to me _ever_.''

Sakura wanted to pull her hair out violently, but she remembered her breathing technique. _Look at the positive side_ she could hear her anger-management therapist repeat in her head. _Positive, positive,_ Sakura repeated like a mantra. _Well,_ she supposed, _it is kind-of a progress._

OoOoO

As weeks went by, it became clear to Sakura and the boys that Naruto's poor results at school were solely due to inadequate training. As they were all well aware, Naruto did not have parents to teach him and bring out his potential. The instructors at the academy –even if well-meaning like Iruka- simply could not devote enough time to Naruto and did not have proper understanding of Naruto's capabilities. Sakura on the other hand, was nothing short of an expert on chakra control.

Sakura knew of Naruto's misadventure with Mizuki and his learning the shadow clone technique because of it, though she had always assumed that it was because he had the Kyuubi's chakra what he was able to perform such a high-ranking technique. The truth was, however, that Naruto's chakra when using such technique did not feel demonic at all. It was as blue and pure as any other child's but it was just so much more _abundant_.

It was much harder to control, obviously, so Naruto was often faced with failure. Like today, for example, as they were practicing tree walking. Kakashi and Sasuke had gotten the hang of it instantly thanks to their family training, but Naruto had barely managed to get up a few feet.

''The reason you're struggling with the techniques I'm trying to teach you is simply because you have too much chakra,'' Sakura explained patiently. Kakashi and Sasuke exchanged a skeptic look and jumped down from their respective tree to better listen to what their sensei had to say.

''Too much chakra? You mean...'' Naruto trailed off, looking hesitantly towards his two teammates. He didn't continue, knowing he wasn't supposed to speak of his 'condition'. Sakura shook her head.

''You have a naturally large chakra reserve. Must be a hereditary trait.'' Naruto's eyes saddened slightly at the notion. He would probably never get to know of his origins. Sakura ruffled his hair comfortingly then performed a quick series of hand signs before gently taking off Naruto's forehead protector and touching his forehead with her finger. A small diamond shaped seal appeared, much like hers and her sensei's Tsunade.

''What's that?'' Sasuke asked curiously. Kakashi was silent but eyes were also fixed on the seal.

''It's a technique that my sensei Lady Tsunade passed down to me. She learned it from her own grandmother, who was a master of fuinjutsu. It's a bit different from our own since Naruto's not a medic nin like my sensei and I, but it essentially works the same way. It will store all of Naruto's excess chakra. Normally, releasing this seal allows me to use that chakra for medical jutsu, but that requires extreme chakra control and it's not the purpose of Naruto's own seal. Just think of it as an emergency reserve of chakra.''

''Wow,'' Naruto breathed out and brushed his own forehead hesitantly with his fingers. ''That's incredible.'' Sakura smiled.

''Why don't you try climbing that tree now?'' Naruto nodded enthusiastically and successfully walked along the trunk and easily reached the top.

''Woohoo! I did it!'' Naruto exclaimed cheerfully. He jumped right down the tree and trapped his sensei in a bone-crushing hug, eternally grateful for the help. The pink haired woman patted the blond mane then looked at the happy child more seriously.

''Try not to rely just on that, okay Naru-chan? You still need to learn how to control your chakra.''

''I understand,'' Naruto nodded with determination. Kakashi and Sasuke shared another look. That hadn't been a team for very long, and Naruto was starting to catch up to them surprisingly fast... perhaps they hadn't given the blond the credits he deserved.

Naruto tuned to them and the two taller boys were taken aback by the blond's bright eyes and wide smile.

''You'll see, I'll kick your princy asses in no time!'' Both Hatake and the Uchiha released a chuckle despite themselves.

''In your dreams, dobe,'' Sasuke said almost fondly.

''Gotta agree with Uchiha on this one,'' Kakashi added.

''You'll see, you'll see!''

OoOoO

''Hm...'' Sakura tapped her feet impatiently –and worriedly- as she wanted for her last pupil to arrive to their meeting point. Kakashi looked bored and was reading some sort of cheesy teen-romance novel while Sasuke was muttering something about annoying dobes being late.

''Naruto's a klutz but he's usually not late like this. I'm a bit worried.''

''He probably forgot to set his alarm or something stupid like that,'' Kakashi provided as he turned over a page of his novel. Sasuke let a snort escape; it certainly sounded like something the dobe would do.

''Still...'' Sakura sighed, ''I have a bad feeling about this. Look, I'll go to the mission's office to get our mission for the day while you guys look for Naruto, okay?''

''Sakura-sensei-'' Sasuke started to protest but promptly decided against it when he saw the angry vein popping on the pretty woman's forehead. ''Fine. Let's go, Hatake.'' Kakashi sighed then followed his teammate, though did not take his eyes off his book.

The two brooding teens were silently walking towards Naruto's apartment where the blond was undoubtedly still sleeping. Sasuke kept throwing quick glances at the cover of Kakashi's book. It was the kind of novel he kept seeing the girls at the academy reading all the time. Cheesy romance books where a dark brooding handsome teen would fall for a clumsy but pretty and virtuous girl. Sasuke had tried to mock the other on several occasions about his questionable taste in literature, but Kakashi was particularly good at not caring about things, including Sasuke's opinion about his hobby. For all the times Sasuke managed to get onto Kakashi's nerves, the grey-haired teen owned his hobby with unshakable confidence. Sasuke had dropped it a while ago. But now, he was starting to wonder what was so good about these novels...

...maybe he could try one of them?

 _What the fuck am I thinking?_ Sasuke shook his head and discarded the stupid idea.

As they passed the busy streets of the market square of Konoha, the boys noticed an bunch of people gathered around a small meat-bun shop. It was making quite the ruckus so early in the morning. From the distance, they could only hear some comments about a thief. The two prodigies were about to ignore and continue on their boring journey when they caught a glimpse of bright blond hair that could only belong to one person. The two teens exchanged a quick look before rushing towards the scene.

They pushed their way through the small crowd until they saw that their blind teammate was being man handled by a massive, burly man; the owner of the meat-bun shop. The man had a solid grip on Naruto's small wrist. It was obviously painful, judging by the pained expression Naruto had on his features.

''Let me go, old man! I told you, it wasn't me!''

''I don't believe you! It was right there; I turn my back one second and it's gone. You were right there; there's no way it could have been anyone else! I bet you stole those fancy clothes too, huh?!''

''It wasn't me, got it?!'' Naruto replied angrily. ''Look!'' The bond added defiantly and stuck out his tongue to show there weren't any meat crumbs and also to piss the shop owner off.

''Why you insolent demon brat!'' The big man growled and lifted his free palm, ready to slap the boy's cursed cheeks. Naruto's eyes widened in fear and he squeezed his eyes shut, bracing himself for the impact.

''Let him go,'' Sasuke spat through his teeth as he caught the man's hit mid-air. Kakashi had released Naruto from the man's firm grip with a pressure point that had the man grunt in pain. Naruto instantly nursed his wrist with his other hand, soothing the skin over his sleeve with gentle rubs. Just then, a small kid rushed out from behind nearby barrels, hoping the commotion would mask his escape. But Sasuke saw him and threw several shurikens on the ground in front of the kid, stopping him in his run. Kakashi sped towards him and grabbed the kid by the collar and brought him back towards the shop.

''Come on, kid, show us what you're hiding,'' Kakashi said evenly, though his tone was no-less intimidating. The kid considered denying everything, but both dark eyed teens' looks quickly dissuaded him. He let his gaze fall to the ground in shame and showed the crow the freshly baked meat-bun that he had stolen.

The shop owner looked back and forth between Naruto and the younger stealing kid and grunted in anger. ''Whatever! Get out of my sight, all four of you!'' The man exclaimed going back into his kitchen without another word. Kakashi and Sasuke stared, completely dumbfounded. That was it?! The man was ready to hit Naruto, but didn't care that this kid was the true thief?

Said kid tried to sneak away, but Kakashi kept his hold on the boy's collar firmly.

''Not so fast, you little snot,'' the grey haired teen said warningly.

''That's right,'' Sasuke said with a nod, ''Apologize to our friend. He got in trouble because of you.'' Naruto's went wide, not believing what Sasuke had just said.

''Come on,'' Kakashi urged, pushing the kid towards Naruto. The small brown haird kid looked down stubbornly, but was close to tears with shame.

''S-sorry...'' The kid said quietly, not meeting Naruto in the eyes.

''Why did you steal?'' Naruto asked with a frown. ''You know that's wrong, right?'' The boy shrugged and played with the dirt on the ground with his shoes.

''Dunno... Mom took away my allowance... and I like those buns so... I didn't think doing it just once was so bad...'' the boy muttered quietly, almost inaudibly.

''Hmph,'' Naruto crossed his arms. ''Then you're just a spoiled brat!'' That ticked the kid off. He looked up in anger and glared at Naruto.

''I'm not!''

''Yes you are,'' Naruto insisted, ''If you weren't, then you'd just suck it up and earn your allowance back by proving yourself to your mom.'' The boy looked back down again, properly chastised this time.

''Fine, I'm sorry!'' The boy suddenly exclaimed, looking straight into Naruto's eyes. ''I won't do it again.'' Naruto smiled at that, then the boy ran away.

The three boys walked back towards their meeting point in silence, though Kakashi and Sasuke were looking at Naruto regularly, pondering whether or not they should address what they had just witnessed. It kept bothering them how unjustly Naruto had been treated in all of this. They could still remember how most of the kids at the academy mocked or avoided him, but they had never realised that a lot of adults actually acted the same until now. There was also that insult which the man had thrown at Naruto... 'demon' just seemed way too harsh to just let it slide.

''Does that kind of thing happen a lot to you?'' Sasuke decided to ask. Naruto seemed to stiff for a second before laughing it off.

''It wasn't a big deal,'' the blond replied. ''Come on, Sakura-sensei's probably waiting for us.''

''Don't try to avoid the subject-'' Kakashi quickened his pace and grabbed Naruto's wrist. The blond teen let out a painful hiss and Kakashi instantly let it go, taken aback by the reaction. Sasuke frowned, then took quick steps forward himself and grabbed Naruto as well, though higher on the arm as not to hurt him.

''Hey, let me go, bastard- hey!'' Naruto blushed in embarrassment as Sasuke roughly pulled down the sleeve of his tunic, revealing the nasty, dark bruise around the blond's small wrist.

''What the hell,'' Sasuke breathed out. Had the man been trying to break the blond's hand or what? Naruto roughly pulled himself out of Sasuke's loosened grip and pulled down his sleeve to hide it.

''It's not a big deal,'' Naruto repeated, though more quietly this time. Kakashi's stare narrowed and he clenched his fists in anger. He wanted to teach that shop owner a lesson. Naruto might be an idiot, but he definitely didn't deserve to be treated that way.

Naruto looked back and forth at his two teammates, who were shaking with anger. He felt his stomach warm up and let a small smile graze his features. It was the first time somebody had defended him like this.

''Hey, guys, calm down. I promise it's not usually this bad, okay?'' That certainly didn't make either of the taller teens feel any better, but they managed to recompose themselves. Naruto's small smile widened ever so slightly and his cheeks had a healthy reddish colour to them, like when he got excited over ramen.

''What are you smiling so dumbly for,'' Sasuke asked, curious brow up on his forehead. Kakashi didn't let it show, but was just as intrigued. Naruto shrugged bashfully and looked away.

''Just thinking about... you know... when you called me your friend,'' Naruto said, throwing them a quick glance before resuming his walk. The scene nearly broke the other two teens. They were struggling to contain the heat that was trying to creep up to their faces. _He's so frustratingly...cute!_ They both thought. The followed the blond silently, stubbornly ignoring the butterflies in their stomachs.

OoOoO

After another day of boring D-ranked mission, Sasuke decided to take the long way home, giving himself time to think back on today's events, most particularly this morning. He couldn't shake off the guilt he was feeling because of how he hadn't given Naruto the chance to prove his worth back at the academy. It's not like he had been horrible with him –bullying him and breaking his things like some other kids did back then- but he'd always snobbed him and called him a loser. The way that shop owner had treated Naruto had brought all those memories back with full force. He even recalled staff at the school treating Naruto unfairly. But why? Sure, the blond was loud, annoying, played stupid pranks and-

Naruto's small, happy smile from this morning suddenly came to his mind. It had been so sweet and sincere, unlike his usual foxy grin he had on all the time.

Sasuke shook his head, trying to force out the heat that was slowly rising in his face.

No matter how silly the blond could act, he was definitely a good person. He just didn't deserve being treated that way.

Sasuke bit on his lips in annoyance. Maybe he could ask Sakura-sensei privately about it. It would definitely make Naruto feel uncomfortable if he asked him directly, judging by his reaction this morning.

The dark, brooding prince let out a sigh as he walked along the street. A few girls nearby looked at him dreamily, wondering what could be preoccupying his thoughts. If they knew.

Sasuke ended up passing by a bookstore. At the front window was exposed the very same romance novel that Kakashi was reading. He stopped and blinked. _What's so good about this stupid novel anyway?_ Sasuke wondered to himself. He continued his walk stubbornly... only to stop a few feet away. He looked back at the bookstore, then shook his head and continued to walk.

''Damn it,'' he cursed when he stopped again.

He entered the bookstore with fierce and determined steps, expression almost angry. He grabbed the book more harshly than necessary and slammed it on the counter with some money. His face was probably all red, but he refused to acknowledge it. He looked up at the cashier; a bored looking teenage girl –probably his big brother's age- with an unimpressed brow lifted up at him.

''S'for my mom,'' Sasuke muttered.

''Suuuure,'' the girl replied with a smirk. She put the book in a small bag, which Sasuke grabbed viciously before leaving as quickly as he had left. ''Hey, your change!'' The girl cried out, but Sasuke was too stubborn to go back. The girl shrugged and put the change in her pockets.

Sasuke all but ran to his room once he got home. He made sure the sliding door of his room was shut before sitting on his bed and eyeing the novel like it was made of snot. The title couldn't be cheesier and the cover was a goddamn flower. Still, he wanted to know how it was possible for a guy like Kakashi to read this crap out in the public without any shame _. Probably just because it's Kakashi,_ Sasuke thought to himself. That guy was just so weird and hard to understand sometimes.

Sasuke took a deep breath. He had bought the thing, so might as well read at least the first page.

So he did.

He had to admit that the writing was actually pretty decent. The whole setting was unoriginal though; some prestigious high school filled with rich and arrogant teenagers. The main character was a blue eyed, blond, clumsy orphan girl who had gotten in because the manager of her orphanage was also the principal of the school. She was not particularly smart but she was sweet and courageous and, of course, very pretty. Still, she got picked on at school because of her background, but she never let it affect her positive spirit.

Without realizing it, Sasuke was already on page 25.

In the school, there were two extremely hot seniors who were basically the princes of the whole school. All the girls were drooling over them. Both were tall, brooding teenagers with a dark eyes, and prestigious families. They were the best at everything and had the best grades in all subjects. One day, the two princes had insulted the girl because she had accidently spilled her lunch on their expensive clothes. But of course, the girl was completely unimpressed by the two handsome boys' rich families and didn't care about the fact that they were popular. This had picked the boys' interest and before they knew it, they were both rivaling for the clueless girl's affection.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. _So cliché,_ Sasuke thought. _And that girl is such a klutz. Kind of like Naruto, actually._ Sasuke blinked. Now that he thought about it, there were quite a few similarities between the main female character and Naruto. Both had unfortunate backgrounds, both were cute blonds and were kind of stupid... even the name was creepily similar. _'Naruko' ... Eh, what a coincidence._

The two love interests kind of reminded him of him and Kakashi.

There's the laid-back and cocky guy called Kasumi, and the stubborn and short-tempered Sabure...

 _Weird._ He thought again. He couldn't help but continue to read anyway.

''What's this?'' Sasuke nearly screamed when he realized his brother was in his room. He had come out of nowhere and taken the book from his hands. ''Oh? Interesting.''

''It's not what you think!'' Sasuke exclaimed, face red with mortification. ''It's that stupid Hatake- he-!'' Sasuke stopped himself when he saw his brother's evil smirk. He knew there was no point in trying to defend himself. Plus, it's not like he could deny that he had just read the first 75 pages of the damned book.

''It's okay, little brother, you're allowed to have any hobby you like,'' Itachi said calmly, smirk still firmly in place. He handed the book back to his little brother who took it back harshly with a glare and threw it over to his desk beside his bed. ''Come on, I came to get you because mother's been calling your name to come eat dinner. That book of yours must be pretty good.''

''Shut up!'' Sasuke growled and tried to punch his brother. Itachi easily dodge it and walked out of his room. Sasuke growled some more then followed begrudgingly with heavy steps.

Later that night, when Sasuke was laying down on his bed, he started thinking back onto the similarities between the book and his teammates. Going by all the resemblances, he could clearly identify himself with Sabure, while Kasumi was eerily similar to Kakashi. Both were rivaling for Naruko's heart, and the latter was completely oblivious to it. He idly wondered with whom she would end up.

Sasuke felt his face heat up. He gave the book on his desk a quick glance before stubbornly looking back at the ceiling.

After a while, he grunted and sat up on his bed. He opened the small lamp by his side and grabbed the damn book. He read one page after another, completely taken by the story and how the two rivals were slowly making progress with the pretty blond. The sun was slowly starting to rise and lighting up his room, but Sasuke didn't even notice. He was getting close to the end of the novel, and thus would probably find out who Naruko was going to choose... until he reached the last page and-!

 _To be Continued..._

''W... what?'' Sasuke stared at the three words like there were some kind of tasteless joke. ''But... Naruko was just about to say who she was going to the masquerade with!'' He cursed and threw the book over the floor, then looked at his alarm.

5h13.

He groaned and fell back onto his bed.

OoOoO

Sasuke walked slowly towards team seven's meeting spot. He dragged his feet and let out a massive yawn. He could feel the dark circles under his eyes. He probably looked like a fucking mess.

When he arrived at the small bridge, Kakashi was there alone, casually reading the book. He did not greet him, just walked over and leaned onto the rail much like Kakashi and eyed the quiet silver-haired teen. Sasuke could tell Kakashi had just started the last chapter. He looked back towards the pond, expression bored.

''Naruko doesn't end up with either of them... the book ends before we know. I passed by the bookstore and volume two won't be out until March.''

For the first five minutes, Kakashi did not react. He just kept looking at the book, but was seemingly not reading it anymore. The tension slowly rose until Kakashi could no longer contain his anger and threw the book down on the wooden bridge.

''God damn it, Uchiha!'' Kakashi shook his fist in anger, using all of his self control not to just punch his rival square in the face. But he couldn't really blame him. Sure, the Uchiha was an ass for spoiling him, but what was even more frustrating was that he'd never get to read Kasumi and Naruko's first kiss. Because really, there was no way Naruko was going to choose that jerk Sabure.

He took a deep breath before picking up the book and putting it away in his weapon pouch. Now he was in a foul mood.

''Anyways,'' Sasuke continued. ''I think we both know who she's going to end up with.'' Kakashi nodded in agreement.

''Yeah, it's pretty obvious that she prefers Kasumi.'' Sasuke let out a huge, loud and disgraceful snort. Kakashi narrowed his eyes, then it was his turn to snort. ''What, you actually think she likes _Sabure_ better? You are a retard, Uchiha.''

'' _You're_ the retard, Hatake! After what Sabure did for her in chapter 23? There`s no way that stupid Kasumi stands a chance,'' Sasuke glared at his rival, fist _daring_ his teammate to disagree.

''Sabure doesn't deserve her; he's probably going to be too ashamed of her because of his family. He's just an arrogant piece of shit. Kasumi wouldn't care about that, he-''

''Yeah?! 'Cause he doesn't care about anything! He wouldn't take care of Naruko like she deserves-''

''Bullshit-'' Kakashi grabbed Sasuke's collar and the two started a fist fight, exchanging punches as much as they were exchanging insults.

''What the _hell_ is going on here!'' Sakura raged as she rushed over to separate the two hormonal and grumpy teenagers. Both of them were covered in bruises. Kakashi's mask was soaked with blood because of his nose while Sasuke had a nasty black eye. ''I swear you two are going to drive me insane! And I thought you were _finally_ starting to get along... what the hell happened?!''

''Nothing,'' both said stubbornly at the same time. Sakura massaged her temple _s. Breath, Sakura, breath... they're just kids..._

''Clearly, it _isn't_ nothing.''

Both teenagers then started to feel their face heat up in embarrassment. They were starting to realize how stupid their fight had been... Why had they gotten so involved in that novel?

''Morning, guys!'' Came Naruto's cheerful greeting. Naruto ran towards his team with a wide happy smile on his face and a hand high up waving at them. Once he got closer, he blinked curiously at state Sasuke and Kakashi were in.

''Eh? Did you start sparring without me?'' Kakashi and Sasuke refused to meet Naruto's eyes, too afraid that the butterflies would come back if they did. Instead, they exchanged a fierce glaring competition. Sakura sighed dramatically. She was starting to suspect what was going on.

''Ignore those two idiots, Naru-chan. Let's go over to the mission office.'' Naruto blinked again, then shrugged.

''Okay,'' he said and followed his sensei.

OoOoO

''Phew...'' Sakura sat down heavily into her couch, can of beer in hand. She took several long swallows and sighed in relief. What an exhausting day. Those pupils of hers were draining the energy out of her like nothing else. She loved them to no end, but she also wanted to punch them really hard sometimes. She looked over to the small desk at the corner of the small living room of her apartment. She smiled somewhat fondly.

Her therapist had told her to channel her stress and anger into something creative. She had naturally turned to writing, being the bookworm that she was. She hadn`t thought her silly hobby would have actually gotten published, though. She hadn`t meant for that; it was Ino who had nearly forced her to do it. She ended up giving up and accepted to submit it under a pen name. She chuckled slightly before rising from her couch. She walked over to the desk and sat down. She grabbed her favourite pen and started scribbling down.

 _Pride & Passion_

 _Volume II_

 _Chapter I_

 _Naruko`s heart was beating hectically..._

* * *

 **Note:** I meant to post this as a one-shot in my ``Sweet Nothings`` series, but it just got waaayyy out of hand and grew bigger than I expected. So, I guess it`s going to be yet another work in progress haha.

Don`t worry though, guys. I'm not giving up on the other stories. I just have too many ideas that I need to put down. I actually have several chapters from several different projects half-way done. I`m just fighting on more than one front.

Thank you for bearing with me.

Cheers!


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